JHU Bridge Grants

JHU Bridge Grants will provide short-term support to sustain research programs that have been financially affected by delays in federal grant renewals and payments. These time-limited Bridge Grants will provide up to $100,000 for no longer than 12 months.  

Eligibility 

Department Chair/Vice Deans for Research may apply for University cost sharing of Bridge funding for research programs for faculty across all ranks and divisions, provided that they were PI/MPI/Co-PI on at least one federal award that has experienced a major delay in receipt of sponsored funding (i.e., delay of a notice of renewal or non-competitive continuation, delay of payment after notice of award).

Given limited availability of funds, pre-tenure faculty may be prioritized in the selection process. Awards are not intended to invest in new areas for research (see Pivot Grants).   

To be competitive, applications should demonstrate a strong likelihood of receiving external funding within the bridge period. For renewals or continuations, this may include recent communication with a program officer indicating a promising outcome, strong peer review scores, or other clear evidence that funding is likely but delayed.

Projects with longer-term delays and/or no realistic path to near-term funding, including those stalled by structural or policy shifts in agency priorities, may not be competitive for this mechanism and should consider applying for a Pivot Grant instead. Bridge Grants are not intended to sustain programs with long-term funding uncertainty. If an application is deemed a better fit for Pivot Grants, the PI will be notified and asked to submit a one-page document requesting either a shift in research direction or funding sources, an updated budget for $150,000, and an explanation of how funds would align with research and funding aims.

Applications must also demonstrate a lack of alternative sources of funding and include a plan for how any available unrestricted funds will support the proposed work. Discretionary funds do not need to be fully exhausted before a Bridge application can be submitted but should be fully budgeted as part of the cost sharing requirement. Applicants are required to report total discretionary account balances. Those with substantial discretionary balances will be expected to justify why those funds are not being used for immediate support. Training, education, curriculum development, and other non-research proposals – such as programmatic or service delivery grants – will not be considered.

Terms 

Departments/divisions can request Bridge Grants of up to $100,000 over one year (up to $50,000 from the University and $50,000 from matching funds). The award amount will be commensurate with maintaining research programs at an “essential” level and will be based on a review of the grant record and prospect of imminent funding. A single, non-renewable grant is anticipated. Funds are to be expended within 12 months.  Distributing funds to subaward recipients at other institutions is not permitted with Bridge funding. Bridge Grants can be used to support research personnel (faculty, students, postdocs, staff) and materials and supplies, and travel. If federal awards and new funds are made available, Bridge Award funds must be returned/reimbursed according to the source of funds.  

Application 

Ready to apply? Please submit your application through InfoReady. 

Required materials include:

1. Application Form

2. Application (provided by PI) up to 2 pages (PDF attachment) including:

a) Description of the status of delayed award, including the likelihood and the expected timeline for receiving federal funds 

b) Statement describing the impact of current funding delay 

c) Cost-sharing Plan – how the school, division/department, or PI will contribute 50% of the award funds (including discretionary account balances)

d) Description of alternative sources of funding explored to support current personnel/activities (e.g., other federal funding, philanthropy, faculty discretionary accounts) and other cost saving measures taken to mitigate the gap in funding 

e) Explanation of how the applicant plans to use the bridge grant to pursue sources of external funding 

3. Current and Pending Support, including upcoming submissions or resubmissions (PDF attachment) 

4. Budget Justification – use template providedto show projected use of funds and justification

5. Faculty Biosketch or CV (PDF attachment) 

6. Letter of support from the vice dean for research or department chair (PDF attachment) 

3. Current and Pending Support, including upcoming submissions or resubmissions (PDF attachment) 

4. Budget Justification – use template provided including 

5. Faculty Biosketch or CV (PDF attachment) 

6. Letter of support from the vice dean for research or department chair (PDF attachment) 

Review 

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Pending the volume of applications, pre-tenure faculty may be prioritized in the selection process. Following submission by the divisions, applications will be reviewed within OVPR to ensure applications meet the following criteria:  

1. Evidence of imminent funding or agency communication
2. Likelihood of receiving funding in the near future 
3. Clear justification of needs and requested budget 
4. Demonstration that all other funding sources have been deployed to cover the funding gap 
5. Demonstration that the faculty member has taken steps to scale back operations to “essential” levels while retaining the necessary personnel to be ready for the next award.